Art therapy, arts-based research and transitional stories of domestic violence and abuse

ABSTRACT

Visual imagery within qualitative research is an established method of gathering data that has parallels to the way in which images are used within art therapy. This article explores how visual imagery was used to investigate women’s responses to domestic violence and abuse and examines how art therapy principles shaped the development and conducting of that research. Through the use of collage, participants created visual representations of their responses to experiences of domestic violence and abuse. The visual representations, when combined with spoken words, created stories that reference the past, present and future. The stories created have been termed transitional stories of domestic violence. These stories show that the home has special significance for women as they transition away from domestic violence and plan for their future. The home becomes both a metaphorical and physical manifestation and container of hopes for a harmonious future that often incorporates the desire for the return to the idea of a complete family. This article will present the findings of the arts-based research conducted, and consider the implications upon art therapy practice of those findings.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• arts-based research
• domestic violence and abuse
• participatory action research
• imagination

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the support of Professor Dawn Forman in the preparation of the article for publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Dr Jamie Bird is an art therapist and arts-based researcher who has taken an interest in the study of experiences of migration and of domestic violence and abuse through the employment of the arts. He has been involved in the teaching of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students within therapeutic arts and creative expressive therapies for 12 years and is currently Head of Department of Therapeutic Practice at the University of Derby. Email: [email protected]